This year marks the 100th anniversary of the
birth of Aaron Copland (1900-1990). While Copland wrote a great deal of
wonderful music, some of it quite innovative and daring, he is best known for
his three irresistible “American” ballet scores: Billy
the Kid (1938), Rodeo (1942), and Appalachian
Spring (1944). These tune-filled
works, either complete or in suite form, comprise Michael Tilson Thomas’
“Copland The Populist,” a follow up to his earlier Grammy-winner, “Copland
the Modernist.”

Tilson
Thomas seems the perfect heir to late conductor Leonard Bernstein’s mantle as
“the” Copland champion. Both men began to work with Copland when they were
quite young. Bernstein, who eventually served as one of MTT’s mentors, became
Copland’s protege at the age of 19 after playing Copland’s Piano Variations at the composer’s 37th birthday party. Twenty
three years
later, the young MTT was entrusted with conducting Copland’s 70th
birthday concert. (There’s an excellent photo of MTT and Copland at Tanglewood
in 1973 on the back cover of the liner notes). Following Bernstein’s lead, MTT
recently performed Copland’s Piano
Variations at a June, 2000 San Francisco Symphony Mavericks concert that
celebrated the full range of Copland’s output.

In his liner notes for the Sony reissue of
Bernstein’s New York Philharmonic recordings of these ballet scores (SMK
63082), Charles Michener asserts that the "stringent passion" of Billy The Kid may owe much to the special sympathy that
Copland, who was gay, had for the "social outlaw." Copland was also a Jew,
consciously choosing to compose rousing, life-affirming music at a time when
millions of his Jewish brethren were being exterminated. Copland
had as his model as an “American music” composer his friend, New
York Herald Tribune critic Virgil Thomson. A special kinship
also existed with composer/conductors Bernstein and Tilson Thomas, both of whom
share Copland’s dual "social outlaw" status.

MTT s performances are anything but a carbon copy of
Bernstein’s. Take Rodeo’s four
dance episodes, written for Agnes de Mille and the “Ballets Russes de Monte
Carlo.” Anyone who has ever heard “American music” will probably recognize
Rodeo’s infectious “Hoe-Down,”
based on square-dance tunes. While Bernstein’s performance comes across as the
more brash, energetic, and glitzy of the two, MTT’s more successfully
highlights the moving, evocative passages of the work, especially the pensive
“Corral Nocturne.” The same holds true in the orchestral suite from Billy
the Kid. As for Appalachian Spring,
famed for its concluding exposition on “It’s a Gift to be Simple,” MTT’s
slower pace in the “Very Slowly” movement more successfully contrasts it
with the succeeding “Allegro.” (MTT performs the entire ballet score, while
Bernstein conducts the shorter suite).

While this does not make one conductor “better” than the
other, what definitely does make a difference is the recording quality. RCA’s
sonics may not be demonstration class – they are too one-dimensional and
lacking in hall resonance to merit that accolade—but they are eminently smooth
and listenable, and feature fabulous, stunning percussion. Sony’s Bernstein
Century Copland 20-bit remastering, on the other hand, does not cure the brassy,
glaring sonics, shallow midrange, and poorly captured percussion of the original
recordings. Unless you’ve got tone controls or a minimally intrusive
equalizer, you’re bound to find the Tilson Thomas disc preferable.

NOTE: Reference Recordings, the one label to so far earn my
FIVE STAR sonic rating, is set to release a Minnesota Orchestra recording that
contains at least one or two of the above works. A review will appear either in
Part III of this series or in the review that follows that.

In 1942, when choreographer Agnes de Mille first approached
Copland to suggest the Rodeo project,
Copland protested that he had already composed a cowboy ballet. “Can’t we do
a ballet about Ellis Island?” he replied. While Copland did in fact produce a
glorious score for Rodeo, and went on
to create Appalachian Spring for
Martha Graham, his protest referred in part to feelings within him, no doubt
related to the “outlaw” oppression he felt, that could be better expressed
in his more “modernist,” atonal works.

Of the many Copland chamber pieces offered on the ASV disc,
none speaks to Copland’s Ellis Island side more than Vitebsk: study on a Jewish theme (1928). Based on a folk song used
in Ansky’s play, The Dybbuk, its
tight, angular structure reflects the hardship of Jewish life in White Russia.
It’s a beautiful piece whose harmonies make one stop and listen. The disc also
includes a very early Movement for string
quartet, Two Pieces for string quartet (1928), Quartet for piano and strings (1950 – based on an 11-tone serial
row), and Sextet for string quartet,
clarinet and piano (1937). Some aspects of these works reflect jazz
elements, others the influence of Stravinsky, twelve-tone composers, and
Copland’s teacher, Nadia Boulanger. All are quite wonderful. The ASV sound is
a little distant, over-reverberant and washed out, with the first violin
sounding a bit weak at times, but this does not hinder appreciation of fine,
committed performances of Copland’s rarely-encountered, beautiful music.

The Koch disc, with all but one track recorded digitally in
1984 and 1987, offers fine performances and mostly flat, less-than-totally
involving sound;
the flute certainly doesn’t ring out as it should. The
Copland works include Threnody I, a sad piece written in 1971 in memory of
Stravinsky; and Threnody II, a lighter work composed two years later. Soprano
Jayne West does a fine job on As it Fell
Upon a Day (1923), a silly song whose superior sonics reflect that it was
recorded in March of 2000. The Vocalise
(1928/ arr. 1972) for flute and piano is a bit wistful, while the 1971 Duo
for Flute and Piano is quite evocative, its last movement filled with
movement and energy.

Arthur Foote (1853-1937), whose pieces also appear on the
Koch disc, was a member of the “Boston Classicists” whose romantic “art
music” rose to prominence at the turn of the century. Foote was totally
trained in America, receiving from Harvard the first higher degree in music
awarded in the United States. All of his music is well crafted and compelling.
The 1920 At Dusk, featuring magical
scoring for the harp, impressed as one of the loveliest, most delightful, pieces
heard in many a moon. Another winning disc.

The Summit disc, recorded in clear and natural (though less
than glowing) sound, offers Copland’s three-movement Sonata for Flute and Piano;Copland composed it in 1943 for violin
and piano, and transposed it down a third for clarinet and piano in 1986. The CD
also includes the fine 1896 Sonata for
Flute and Piano, Op. 34 by Amy Marcy Cheney Beach, written in a romantic
style that bears relation to Foote’s idiom; and modern works by William
Wallace, James Willey, and Kent Kennan. For those who can take only so much
atonalism in a day, the delightful Beach may prove just the perfect cup of tea.

PIECES
OF MY CHILDHOOD; AMERICAN HYMNS REVISITED • DAVID FRANCIS, PIANO • Available only from http://www.barbarianrecords.com or by writing David Francis, 1749 North Hudson, Los
Angeles, CA 90028USADTF9000@aol.com

Performance:

Sonics:

Los Angeles-based pianist/composer David Francis, who
frequently composes for television, was born in Memphis, Tennessee. Known for his
championing and performance of 20th century music, he has earned the
accolade “expert pianist” from two-time Pulitzer Prize winning composer Ned
Rorem. (This self-produced disc will be followed by another featuring previously
unrecorded 20th century American piano compositions, and will include
the debut recording of Ned Rorem’s “Eight Etudes.” Reviews of two superb
discs of Rorem songs, performed respectively by Susan Graham and Brian Asawa,
will follow in Part Three of this survey).

The CD at hand reflects Francis’ upbringing in the Baptist
church. To quote from the brief liner notes, it reflects “his nostalgic yet
bittersweet memories” of 12 hymns, including “What a Friend We Have in
Jesus,” “Sweet Hour of Prayer,” “Precious Lord, Take My Hand,” and
“Amazing Grace.” Although to Francis, these pieces may evoke bittersweet
memories, to these ears, the sweetness of a lovely, fluid touch and a sensitive
soul predominate. “Only Trust Him” does have its share of irony, and
“Blessed Assurance, Jesus is Mine” its force, but as the Precious Lord takes
Francis’ hands in a jazzy manner, one senses that the pianist has, in many
ways, made peace with his upbringing. This is an easy-to-listen-to CD that can
provide perfect accompaniment to a hazy afternoon or a mellow evening. It
certainly warms my heart and sweetens my day as I type these words.

Francis plays a Steinway, digitally recorded at close range
without any equalization or signal processing. Curiously, while the recording
contains a fair amount of natural resonance, engineer Michael Guerra has decided
that the way one records a piano in stereo is to put the bass notes on the left
and the treble on the right. Perhaps if one sticks one’s head under the cover
of a piano (or is forced to do so by one’s Baptist minister as punishment for
playing wrong notes), this is the case, but it does not reflect concert
realities. Hopefully a more realistic perspective, and a recording technique
that allows the piano to ring out more, will mark Francis’ next recording.

A follow-up to its successful 1996 APPALACHIA WALTZ disc by these
same artists, Sony has again chosen to market this “crossover” CD by putting
the artists’ names ahead of the title. Special guests James Taylor (guitar and
vocals) and Alison Krauss (violin and vocals) are also highlighted with a red
sticker on the cover. Given the expertness of Ma (cello), O’Connor (violin),
and Meyer (bass); the fact that almost all compositions are either by or
arranged by Meyer and O’Connor (with Ma and Taylor joining in the arrangement
of Stephen Foster’s “Hard Times Come Again No More”), and that Taylor
performs a solo on his own piece, “Benjamin,” these fine artists certainly
deserve to be in the spotlight.

As with Dave Francis’ CD, this is eminently likable, easy
to listen to music. You will get no sense of the grinding poverty, choking dust
of coal mines, or lack of education that have traditionally blighted this area
of the United States. Instead, Taylor strums and whistles along amiably, an
unidentified violinist joining in; Krauss reels along, and life is tuneful and
good. As long as you want something tuneful and light, this CD is great. The
recording is also excellent, with a judicious amount of resonance and a nice
soundstage spread on the instruments.

As in the case of the Francis CD, Pelagos contacted me
directly to secure a review of the latest disc composed and played by three-time
Grammy winning composer, conductor and keyboardist Paul Halley. Pelagos
distributes many discs recorded by Halley, Paul Winter, Pete Seeger, Gaudeamus,
etc

A graduate of England’s Cambridge University, Halley was
born in Sussex. He currently resides in Norfolk, Connecticut. The artist spent
17 years with The Paul Winter Consort, and 13 years as Director of Music of New
York’s Cathedral of St. John the Divine. Hae currently serves as artistic
director of Joyful Noise, Chorus Angelicus and Gaudeamus; Founding Director of
Keramion; and Director of Music, Trinity Episcopal Church, Torrington,
Connecticut.

This CD of “new works for a unique ensemble of piano,
organ & harpsichord” features the most beautiful packaging I have ever
seen on a CD. The colors are alive and wonderful, the use of non-recyclable
plastic kept to a minimum, and the generous liner notes, which are easily
removable from the jacket, printed in a warm and inviting purple. Pictures and
graphics abound. Most important to the sensibilities of this reviewer (who,
among other things, once received a song from Paul Winter to whistle in a
campaign to help stop the slaughter of baby seals, and has been quite involved
with holistic healing), is the quote from mystic Sufi poet Rumi that greets one
upon opening the CD:

Don’t worry about saving these songs!

And if one of our instruments

breaks, it doesn’t matter.

We have fallen into the place where

everything is music.

Alas, I must confess that the energy that surrounds this
beautiful production touched me far more than the music itself. I have given the
CD several tries, and have even shared it with a Sufi composer friend whose
music will someday be heard in Nashville and around the world. Frankly, we found
it un-involving. For a composer who writes in the liner notes that his
inspiration for composing works for piano, organ and harpsichord trio stems from
his love of the continuo instruments he heard in Monteverdi's L'Incoronazione di
Poppea when a teenager, Halley evidences none of the sophisticated mixture of
melody and sentiment that distinguish Monteverdi's work. Halley's music is too
simple and repetitive for my taste. One does not have to relinquish harmonic
complexity or simple charm in order to transition into a New Age of Sisterhood
and Brotherhood. I am certain that Halley can do better.

Born in Budapest to a classically trained pianist mother and
Hungarian folk music afficionado father, composer Miklos Rosza (1907-1995)
trained in classical composition at the Leipzig Conservatory. At the suggestion
of organist Marcel Dupre, he moved to Paris in 1931, where his compositions
attracted the attention of such eminent conductors as Monteux, Dohnanyi and
Walter. After composer Arthur Honegger’s suggested that Rosza try composing
motion picture soundtracks, Rosza moved to London, where he was hired to write a
song for a Marlene Dietrich film produced by Alexander Korda. After the onset of
WWII made filmmaking difficult in Britain, Rosza followed Korda to Hollywood,
where the composer remained for the rest of his life. While contract work for
MGM, and Academy Awards for the scores of Spellbound
(1945), A Double Life (1948), and Ben-Hur
(1959) assured Rosza his place in history, they also served to obscure the
mastery which distinguishes his sizable number of classical compositions.

During the war years, Rosza met monthly with a group of
fellow European musicians and composers who settled in Southern California and
called themselves the Crescendo Club. Stravinsky, Schoenberg, Rachmaninov,
Iturbi, Rubinstein, Heifetz, Szigeti, Piatigorsky, Walter, and Stokowski were
among the club members who developed relationships with Rosza and inspired his
compositions. Thanks to these associations, Rosza’s Violin Concerto (1956) was
composed for Jascha Heiftez, the Double Concerto for Heifetz and Piatigorsky
(1958), and the later Cello Concerto (1968) for Janos Starker.

The pieces on this disc are all wonderful, energetic,
immediately involving works, distinguished by a lyric beauty that marries
Hungarian folk energy with twentieth century harmonies. They inhabit a unique
sound world; they are not warmed-over Bartok or anything of the sort. The
beautiful beginning of the Violin Concerto, sounding nothing like a film score,
touched my heart, while its ending literally had me cheering. Similarly, the
darker, more dramatic Cello Concerto held me rapt with attention. Robert McDuffie and
Lynn Harrell are superb soloists, the orchestral ensemble and conducting
near-perfect, and the sound the 20-bit wonder that Telarc is famed for..

A while ago, one hi-fi editor put the Koch disc of Rosza works on his
Super-List. This may be due in part to the deep bass of the Piano Concerto, a
work not duplicated on the Telarc disc. Be that as it may, auditioning both
discs on two different high-end systems leads me to conclude that the Telarc,
although lacking both the last bit of air around instruments and the ultimate
“sound of the hall,” boasts far superior sonics. Koch has recorded the
pieces too far back, the brilliance of the soloists somewhat lost in a not
sufficiently colorful atmospheric mix. Furthermore, of the two cellists,
Telarc’s Lynn Harrell is unquestionably the finer artist. I urge you to hear it now. You
deserve this disc!

Ah, so many more discs, and so little time. I shall be
briefer in discussing the remaining works.

Libby Larsen came on the scene, as it were, in 1973, when
she and Stephen Paulus co-founded the Minnesota Composers Forum. This eventually
transformed into the American Composers Forum, with ten centers across the
United States. Determined to find a meaningful role for the American composer,
Larsen has composed eight operas, five symphonies, numerous concertos and
chamber works, and many song cycles, some of which celebrate women writers and
artists.

Larsen’s String Symphony was commissioned by the Minnesota
Orchestra, and premiered in November 1998. Songs of Light and Love, to poetry by
May Sarton, was commissioned by the Network for New Music of Philadelphia, and
premiered by Benita Valente in April of 1998. The work, scored for a chamber
ensemble of English horn, harp, marimba, vibraphone, two violins, viola, cello
and bass, represents Larsen’s dual attempt to honor the melody of American
English and “musicalize the ever-present, ever-changing quality of light.
…Each of the five poems uses the metaphor of light ever-present even in
darkness. In each piece, light illuminates love and love is in turn accepted.”
Songs from Letters, commissioned and first performed by Mary Elizabeth Poore in
1989, takes its text from the letters of a woman who worked like a man, lived
like a man, nursed the dying, was infatuated with Wild Bill Hickok, and died a
wasted alcoholic just a year after writing her last letter to the daughter she
may have had by Wild Bill.

Many will find themselves drawn to Larsen’s music; I was
not. Nor was I enamored of the singing of the excellent artist, Benita Valente.
Valente has been singing admirably for many years, and has graced our lives with
innumerable memorable performances and recordings. While her voice retains much
of its beauty, it frequently sounds weak and a bit pressed, At least on this
recording, Valente sounds as though her best vocal years are behind her.

Born in 1915 in Rochester, New York, where he still resides,
David Diamond was a student of Roger Sessions and Nadia Boulanger. His many
works have seen premieres in the hands of Howard Hanson, Dmitri Mitropoulos,
Bernstein, Szell, Yo-Yo Ma, Janos Starker and Gerard Schwarz. A recipient of
many awards, he joined the faculty of the Juilliard School in 1973, and has also
served as chairman of composition at the Manhattan School of Music. Among his
compositions are 11 symphonies, 11 string quartets, three violin concertos, and
over 100 songs. His Eighth Symphony was written for the 60th birthday
of his friend and mentor, Aaron Copland.

Gerard Schwarz has recorded most of Diamond’s major
orchestral works, some of which have Jewish themes, for the Delos label. Thanks
to the inclusion of at least two of these recordings in the BMG Record Club
classical catalogue, Diamond’s works have reached a wider public in recent
years.

I was drawn to Diamond’s work when I briefly auditioned
one of his Delos discs some years back. In fact, I had book marked that Diamond
disc for further listening. These days, however, my listening pile is filled with
more deadlines CDs than I can shake a Schwann Catalogue at, and time for non-review
listening is sorely limited. I thus greatly welcomed the opportunity to sample
some of Diamond’s chamber works.

Alas, I found these works distinctly uninviting. I tried
many times, but simply could not penetrate beneath their seemingly cerebral
surface. I know from the other Diamond compositions I’ve heard, as well as
from capsule summaries of other Diamond works in the current Penguin Guide, that
the artist is capable of deep feeling and touching music, but I could not feel
it here. Hence I do not rate this recording for performance. I’d be interested
in hearing if your reaction differs.

Morton Feldman (1926-1987) created a sizable body of work
that explores the worlds of sound, space, and silence. While the author of the
disc’s liner notes acknowledges that one “observer” has described the
piece at hand as “claustrophobic;” the author prefers to state that for over
43 minutes, “we are held captive within [Feldman’s] sound space.” My 20th
century piano music specialist friend Jerry Kuderna loved this music,
immediately hearing its kinship with a work by Arnold Schoenberg. I, on the
other hand, refused to listen for more than a few minutes. Chalk it up in part
to spending many years working as a freedom fighter I am one who chooses
captivation over captivity. I was also dismayed by the sonics, which are flat,
one-dimensional, colorless, and, for a 1995 recording, absolutely the worst of
any disc I have reviewed in the last eight months.

Maybe I’m just an impatient boor who needs to be tied down
and Feldmanized. Or perhaps the translator’s choice of the word “observer”
instead of “listener” is more telling than some would wish.

Jerry will be happy to learn that I have finally reviewed
this CD. Now he can borrow it and listen to his heart’s content without having
to ignore the moaning interjections of a stultified Serinus.

The Cedille label, produced by the non-profit Chicago
Classical Recording Foundation, is devoted to promoting Chicago area musicians
and ensembles. This disc, recorded in 1999, features a major spiritual work by
Frank Ferko (b. 1950). It includes three pages of liner notes by Ferko, full
text and translations, and information about the composer and artists.

Born in Ohio, Frank Ferko is a freelance composer and
organist who has served as director of music at various churches in the midwest.
The American Composers Forum (see Libby Larsen review above) has been one of the
sponsors of performances of his works, more than 20 of which may be found on
compact disc, primarily on the Arsis label and The Liturgical Press.

Although I found much to admire on this disc, especially the
fine singing, I did not come away with the feeling that Ferko’s Sabat Mater
will earn a reputation as a major contribution to 20th century
liturgical composition. Nonetheless, this music is well worth exploring.

KRONOS
CARAVAN • THE KRONOS QUARTET • Nonesuch
79490-2

Performance:

Sonics:

So many praise-filled reviews have already been penned about
this CD that it almost feels redundant to say more. For those unfamiliar with
the artists, the Kronos Quartet is the very hip, San Francisco-based string
quartet that, since its founding in 1973, has become a leading exponent of new,
cutting edge twentieth century music. Over 400 works have been written or
arranged for the group. Kronos has worked or is currently working with such
outstanding American composers as Terry Riley, John Adams, Steve Mackey, and
Steve Reich.

This CD builds upon the success of Kronos’ best-selling Pieces of Africa CD. Caravan mixes tracks by
Americans Terry Riley and the man variously known as Nicholas Roubanis/Richard
Monsour/Dick Dale/”King of the Surf Guitar”, with contemporary and
traditional tracks from Lebanon, Iran, Argentina, Portugal, Hungary, Romania,
Mexico, Yugoslavia and India. Most are arranged by Argentinian Osvaldo Golijov,
whose marvelous, highly recommended The
Dreams and Prayers of Isaac the Blind was released by Kronos in 1997.

I first heard some of the music on this CD at a concert
Kronos performed in Berkeley with special guest, soprano Dawn Upshaw. Upshaw was
fabulous, a virtual chameleon, changing voice and styles from piece to piece.
She had clearly studied the work of native singers, and did an impressive if not
exactly authentic job at matching accents and inflections. She used her body,
too, as she sang, making everything she did come alive. Alas, both she and
Kronos were amplified. This is what Kronos seems to do in its live concerts
these days, and it is a drag. The group carries its own amplifiers and monitors
with them, but the amplified results fail to convey the unique timbre of
individual instruments. Miking may allow them to fill a 2000 + seat auditorium,
but it mars much of the beauty of their work. I would think, with all their
success, they could at least afford a better amplification system.

Be that as it may, the music is great. It’s alive,
intriguing, and of unfailing interest. Golijov’s arrangements deserve much
credit here. Upshaw makes the music come even more alive, but that experience,
it seems, must be savored at amplified live occasions.

The sound on the CD is okay, but not great. Although
certainly better than the amplified sound I heard "live," there's too
much echo around instruments to deserve more than 3.5 stars. What a shame.
Unless Kronos drops its live amplification, recordings present our only
opportunity to hear the sonic world these three gifted men and one woman are
capable of producing without electronic intervention. The Kronos Quartet does
not need reverb or enhanced sonics; they are superb musicians in and of
themselves. Thankfully, the souped-up sonics are not overly offensive. And the
music is absolutely too good to pass up.

Baltimore-born Christopher Rouse (1949 - ) won the 1993
Pulitzer Prize in Music for his Trombone
Concerto. (The piece that won the 1999 prize, by Melinda Wagner, will be
featured in the concluding set of American reviews). If the music on this
energizing, captivating CD is any indication, many of Rouse’s works are filled
with intensity, passion, darkness, and percussive energy.

Abetted by Koch’s superior sonics (which I might have even
rated at 5 Stars had my reference system’s P300 Power Plant and Tara Decade
interconnect not been disconnected for either upgrading or repair), the CD
begins stunningly with “Ku-Ka-Ilimoku,” (1978). Rouse terms this short
Hawaiian-inspired piece for percussion ensemble a “savage war dance.” It is
certain to get both you and your soundsystem working. The darker, 25-minute,
three-movement “Concerto per Corde” (1990), influenced by the work of Dmitri
Shostakovich, takes one to a darker, somber place that also makes a great
impact. “Rotae Passionis” (Passion Wheels), dedicated to Carl Orff (of Carmina
Burana fame), was commissioned by Boston Musica Viva and first performed in
1983. Scored for flute, clarinet, percussion, piano, violin, viola, and cello,
this 20-minute work places extreme demands upon the players, including calling
upon the wind players to also play percussion. (A second percussionist was used
instead). Rouse meant this piece as an elaboration of the human view of the
Passion story as detailed in the artwork of German and Flemish artists. Composed
of a triptych of movements, it is variously gripping, disturbing and serene. The
percussion, again, is fabulous. The CD ends with “Ogoun Badagris,” another
short percussion piece, this time from 1976, which derives its inspiration from
Haitian drumming patterns, particularly those of the Juba Dance. Four conga
drums, metal plates, sleighbells, cabasa, and human shrieks are employed. It
makes for quite a finish.

Rouse’s music is more than just percussive and stunning.
Its dark, at times savage beauty is unique among the over 40 discs auditioned
for this survey. As with the Rosza, it is a CD I urge you to consider hearing.

As we near 5000 words, with 16 discs yet to go, I end with
what shall serve as a special dessert treat:

DANCE ON
A MOONBEAM • A COLLECTION OF SONGS AND POEMS • BILL CROFUT AND GUESTS • Telarc CD-80554

Performance:

+

Sonics:
(depending on the track)

I have been listening to so much 20th century
atonal music of late that my Cuckoo Clock has begun to chime in a twelve-tone
row! As captivating, fascinating and beautiful as this “modern” music may
be, receiving this sweet, touching, absolutely precious CD felt like clicking my
ruby red slippers three times and finding myself back home safe in my bed,
surrounded by all my favorite teddy bears and images of innocence. (At least,
this CD enables me to fantasize as much. It never really was like that in
Serinusland).

Singer, composer and master banjo player Bill Crofut, who
first learned his craft from Pete Seeger, conceived of a CD “offering poetry,
song and the word-music of Shakespeare to children who I believe can be counted
on to respond to the fresh impact of beauty. They need not be talked down to.”
Crofut then invited artists he had worked with over the years – Julianne
Baird, Benjamin Luxon, Dawn Upshaw, Frederica von Stade, Chris Brubeck, and
others –to join the project and donate the profits to the Simple Gifts for
Children Fund he founded in 1998. He also recruited Meryl Streep, who calls
Bill’s Lullabies and Dreams 1990 CD
collaboration “magical,” to read Shakespeare’s words for the project.

In October of 1998, Bill was stricken with esophageal
cancer. Five months later, a few days before he died, he produced a session for
this extraordinary disc. Other tracks were recorded after his death, or borrowed
from earlier CDs or live performances.

Everything about the disc, including the delightful artwork
by daughter Erika, is filled with love. From Bill’s first sung verse, “While
you sleep you can talk to the angels all night long;“ to the penultimate
“Children’s Prayer” from Humperdink’s Hansel
and Gretel, performed by the children’s Chorus Angelicus and the London
Symphony Orchestra; the unique Streep take on Shakespeare; and Bill’s reprise,
“While you sleep all the world will be peaceful all night long,” this work
charms, soothes, and delights. Von Stade, who uses two very different voices for
her two different contributions, is a wonder.

There is nothing else quite like this disc. You will want to
buy one for every child and childlike being you know.